The COE will facilitate the production of quality planting material, training and demonstrations to the farmers and the other stakeholders using automated sowing machines and assembly lines.

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Minister  inaugurated the two State-of-the-Art Facilities – Centre of Excellence (COE) for Protected Cultivation on Horticultural Crops and Business Entrepreneurship and Start-Up Support through Technology in Horticulture (BESST-HORT) at ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research in Bengaluru.

The COE will facilitate the production of quality planting material, training and demonstrations to the farmers and the other stakeholders using automated sowing machines, assembly lines and hi-tech greenhouses demonstrations in protected cultivation and the BESST-HORT would provide technical handholding, mentoring & other support to the Agri-Start-Ups and onsite & virtual training.

Tomar applauded the progress made by the Institute and the Council’s other Horticultural Institutes. He also said that the COE would smoothen the production of quality planting material, train and demonstrate farmers and other stake holders using automated sowing machines.